MRN

A replica of one of the sculptures at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will be unveiled at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. A smaller version of “Three Soldiers” will stand on a black pedestal in front of a wall mural of an Associated Press Vietnam combat photo in the Hall of Honor at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex. The bronze replica, poured and cast in a New York foundry, will be unveiled at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, June 18th, in the Hall of Honor during Freedom Fest. The dedication is open to those attending the Freedom Fest concert. The sculpture was funded by the Don and Roxanne Weber Family through the UW-La Crosse Foundation. The Webers have been key supporters of the stadium and the Hall of Honor.

Frederick Elliott Hart created the sculpture. In 1980, the American master sculptor submitted a proposal to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial but came in third among 1,421 entries. After completion of the wall, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund commissioned Hart to create a sculpture in 1982. The life-like bronze sculpture located in a grove of trees depicts three servicemen, a Caucasian, Mexican-American and African-American, in Vietnam era uniforms carrying infantry weapons.

Dedicated by President Reagan in 1984, Three Soldiers is part of one of the most visited monuments in Washington, D.C. Hart received the Presidential Award for Design Excellence for Three Soldiers in 1988.

They are coming back to Lacrosse to celebrate 25 years later. The La Crosse Catbirds, often referred to as the model franchise of the Continental Basketball Association, have scheduled a reunion on July 3rd in honor of the 25th anniversary of its first championship series.

Former Coach, Mike Mashak, says all players and staff have been invited.

All players and team personnel associated with the Catbirds throughout their run in La Crosse are invited to the July 3rd event being held in Riverside park as a part of Riverfest. Mashak says if you had anything to do with the Catbirds....then your invited, too.

The rules governing contributions for recall elections are different between the time the recall petitions start and the the time the election is actually approved, because usual contributions don't apply.

Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says this is why they have filed complaints against 3 state senators, including Dan Kapanke. He says without that information they are just names on a piece of paper and the public doesn't know who's trying to influence the election. He says transparency is critical.

As of mid April, the most recent period for which accurate numbers are available, the eleven targeted senators had collectively raised over $1.3 million, and contributions have continued to our in. Kapanke faces a recall election in August

Fort McCoy is ushering in a new era of barracks space with the construction of a new Annual Training/Mobilization barracks facility. Brian Harrie, a community planner at the Master Planning Division of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works, said the permanent, brick-and-mortar facility will be the first barracks built to support transient training at Fort McCoy since 1942.The new structure will improve the quality of life for Soldiers training for a limited time at the installation.

The $7 million project, expected to begin this fall, should be completed early in fiscal year 2013. The project will include 160 bed spaces in open bays and eight semi-private bed spaces for higher-ranking Soldiers, and an on-site parking lot. The facility will house Soldiers during two-week annual training or extended training.

It will include an Internet café area, separate shower and latrine areas, a laundry area, recycling area, etc. The floor plan will allow for the sectioning off the facility to house female Soldiers.

Randy Poff will get a second chance to keep himself out of a state hospital...

Poff was on trial this week in La Crosse, with a jury being asked to decide whether he should be committed as 'sexually violent.' But today, Judge Ramona Gonzalez announced a mistrial, because a doctor scheduled to testify about Poff's condition had spoken first to another witness outside the courtroom. That violated an order that witnesses be sequestered. Poff served over 15 years in prison for raping a female jogger in La Crosse, and has been arrested for sex-related crimes since his release. The commitment trial is now planned for December.

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